It’s a park with a difference. When you walk into this park, you will find a 7-ft and 6-ft-long, 120 kg elephant sculpture made from tyres, MS round rods and cut steel sheets, or a 150 kg Ganesha idol made from bearings, cranks, chains, axles, nuts and mild steel components. The Waste to Wealth Skill Park at the Govt Polytechnic, Bhubaneswar (Odisha) takes you to a space in which discarded materials find a second life. Spread across this park are towering sculptures—some rising up to 35 feet—crafted from automobile scrap, e-waste, worn-out tyres and rubble from demolished buildings. Together, they stand as bold reminders that waste, when reimagined, can become wealth.
Each installation is thoughtfully mapped to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring that the creativity on display is also anchored in global sustainability priorities. For students, the park doubles as a hands-on training ground, linking technical skills with real-world environmental challenges and preparing them for emerging green careers.
What sets the park apart is its evolution beyond static art. Several sculptures have transformed into live projects embedded with smart automation and digital technologies, seamlessly blending traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation. As a living showcase of circular economy practices, the Waste to Wealth Skill Park redefines how technical education can inspire, innovate and regenerate.
Talking about this unique project, which has been gaining attention across the country and neighbouring countries, Dr Rajat Kumar Panigrahi, principal of Govt Polytechnic, also popularly known as the Scrap Man of Odisha, says, “Technical institutes like Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) are vital for equipping India’s youth with the skills needed to join the workforce. However, a significant gap often exists between the skills of ITI students and industry requirements. As part of their training, ITIs also generate substantial amounts of waste, including metal, iron, electronic components and other discarded spare parts. To address these issues, this unique initiative, Waste to Wealth, comes as a perfect solution.”
Through this initiative, scrap material is converted into visually interesting sculptures, showpieces and timepieces, which not only reduce waste but also provide students with hands-on experience in waste management and encourage them to work with waste materials.
How does this process work? Explaining it, Panigrahi says, “There’s a meticulously designed process which starts with skill assessments to ensure the curriculum aligns with the trainees’ minds. Assessment of scrap diversity helps identify materials suitable for transformation. Thoughtfully tailored training modules equip students with upcycling techniques and provide them with tools and dedicated workspaces. The work and processes are continuously monitored, and feedback is provided to ensure ongoing skill improvement and creativity.”
Trainees from various trades like welding, painting, fitting and electrical are part of the project and expand their skills and application of mind. The multi-trade approach enhances team spirit and communication while providing diverse skill experience to students. Emphasis on the ‘hearts-on, hands-on and minds-on’ approach fosters student engagement and inspires them to create.
The Waste to Wealth initiative goes beyond learning about waste management by fostering entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and critical thinking, offering additional career pathways.
The Waste to Wealth initiative focuses on producing value through the upcycling of scrap materials, thereby promoting sustainable practices. It also emphasises students’ interest in welding and improving their hands-on skills through practical application in artistic upcycling projects. Students also get an opportunity to earn money while they learn.
Panigrahi adds, “Upcycling is the new mantra. Metal scraps and e-waste can be upcycled beautifully, and these can be potential materials for India’s ever-growing interior design industry too. We want to create awareness by becoming a link between the educational institute and the community. The skill park is all about pushing creative boundaries. The students are working with their hands. India’s manufacturing industry can’t run without qualified manpower. For the students, it has been a great learning experience.”
Interestingly, the students even put up a fashion show on the theme of Waste to Wealth. From outfits made out of plastic bottles to jackets made out of e-waste, it was all about imagination, creativity and creation. Through this unique initiative, Odisha is creating Waste to Wealth warriors across different industries and thereby setting a new blueprint for technical education.
Deepika Sahu has been a journalist for 29 years and she has worked with some of India’s leading media houses. Right now, she is independently engaged in content creation and curation. Twitter: @menondeepika | Instagram@moodydeepika | Facebook: Deepika Sahu
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